Signal apparatus.



A. GIACCONE.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 05015. 1915.

1,234,535. Patented July 24, 1917.

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E- a/ a @6 I A flletanderGz'aawne A. GIACCONE.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15, 1915.

1,234,535. Patented July 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- *l lmnppppg iv 2% m k A a r l mIrm l l lml xmmw w I Z r 6t a W 8 his mofififf ALEXANDER GIAGCONE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 191 '7.

Application filed December 15, 1915. Serial No. 66,897.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GIAocoNn, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to signal apparatus and particularly to apparatus of this class designed for use in factories and other build ings where a number of people are employed for the purpose of signaling to the various parts, compartments or divisions of the building in the case of fire so as to give those in the building the opportunity to escape before it is too late; a further object being to provide a signal apparatus which, in addition, to being used for the purpose specified may also be used for other purposes, as for instance, for releasing the valves or other devices used in connection with water pipes employed in what are known as shower systems for extinguishing fire; a still further object being to provide an apparatus of the class specified which is operated by changes in temperature, and the operation of which depends upon the eX- pansion and contraction of certain parts of the apparatus under the influence of heat and which form a part of an open electric circuit or circuits which also constitute a part of the apparatus, and with these and other objects in view the invention consists in an'apparatus of the class specified constructed and operating as hereinafter described.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part,,in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a suitable inclosing frame containing the main operative partsof my apparatus;

Fig. 2 a bottom plan View thereof with part of the construction broken away;

' Fig.- 3 a diagrammatic sectional view showing part of the construction shown in Fig. 1 and on an enlarged scale and also showing an electric circuit involving a switch and an alarm device; and,

Fig. 4 another diagrammatic view showing a duplication of parts shown in Fig. 3.

In the practice of my invention, as shown in the drawing, I provide a main frame composed of a hood member a of sheet metal, parallel longitudinal bars a and parallel transverse or end strips or bars a which are secured to the ends of the bars a as shown at a and the hood member a is secured to the ends of the bars a in the form of construction shown.

he bars a and a form a rectangular space a in the main frame, and said bars a are composed of non-conducting material, and secured to the inner sides of the bars (6 in the space a is a rectangular frame 6 composed of conducting material and consisting of side members 5 and parallel end members 6 Secured centrally to the end members 6 of the frame 6 are insulating blocks Z2, and pivoted centrally to said blocks is a supplemental rectangular frame 0 composed of conducting material, this connection being by means of screws 0 provided with thumb nuts 0 whereby the frame 0 may be adjusted into any desired position on the frame 0.

The end members 6 of the frame 7) are connected by a plurality of parallel and equally spaced wires 6 and the side members b of the frame 6 are connected near the ends of the said frame by wires 6 and the side members of the frame 0 are also connected by parallel and equally spaced wires 0*.

Rigidly secured to the side members 6 of the frame 6 are inwardly directed fingers (Z composed of metallic strips (Z and d which have diiferent degrees of expansion and contraction. under the influence of heat and, in practice, the strips (Z are preferably composed of brass and the strips (Z of steel, and the strips (Z form the butt ends of said fingers and aresecured to the bars 6 of the frame I), and the strips d are provided with curved end portions d which are adapted under the influence of. heat or changes in the temperature of the place in r which the apparatus is located to make and break connections with the side members c of the frame 0.

The separate parts of the. fingers d are sensitive to the influence of heat and may be made to make and break connection with the 7 frame 0 or the side members thereof under predetermined conditions, and, in practice, the fingers (Z on one side of the frame I) have the parts d thereof secured on the top of the parts d while in the other side of the frame the parts (Z of the fingers (Z are secured to the bottom of the parts (P, as clearly shown. in Figs. 1 and 3, and the object of this construction is to more readily catch the products of combustion or heat arising from a fire should the same be directed from either side of the hood a.

Secured to the adjacent ends of the bars a are plates 6 of conducting material, and a wlre e is connected with one of said plates and with the frame 0, while another wire 6 is connected with the other of said plates and with the frame 6, and a main circuit wire 7 is also connected with one of the plates 6 and another main circuit wire f with the other of said plates, and placed in the circuit formed by the wires f and f is a double knife switch g-with which are also connected other circuit wires h and 71,2, which connect'with' a battery k or other source of electricity and'in the circuit thus formed is placed an alarm device h and it will be understood that a number of these alarm devices k may be used in the circuit formed by the wires h and 7L2, and an apparatus similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be placed in any room of a building and one of the alarm devices it in the other rooms and a fire originating in the room where ,the apparatus is placed will sound an alarm in the other rooms of the building.

It will also be understood that all of the rooms of a building may each be provided with one of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and each of said rooms may also be provided with the signal or alarm device if, and in Fig. 4 I have indicated in a diagrammatic view three of said apparatus and three of said alarm devices, said apparatus being indicated at j, y' and 3' and the wires f and f are connected with the corresponding parts of the apparatus described in Fig. 3, and in thisform of construction a plurality of switch devices k are placed in a circuit formed by the wires F, or other wires connected therewith and in which are also placed the signal devices a and wires are connected with said signal devices, and a battery or other source of electric supply m with which is also connectedthe wire 7. With the construction as shown in Fig. 4:, it will be seen that when the'switch devices is are all in operative position, the completion of thecircuit in'eith'erof the apparatus j,

j and j which will be placed in different rooms, said completion of the circuit being caused by a fire in the room in which said apparatus is placed, will operate all of said signal devices a but it will be understood that by opening any or all of said switch devices, a corresponding number of signal devices will be cut out of the circuit, the object of this feature of the construction being that a plurality of rooms may be provided with the said apparatus, and each of said rooms with an alarm device but it is not absolutely necessary to sound alarms in all of said rooms unless said rooms be occupied.

The opposite ends of the hood member a are provided with extensions a the object of which is to increase the area of said hood so as to more readily catch the products of combustion from a fire, or the heat arising therefrom and direct the same to the fingers cl supported in said hood, and said hood is preferably provided in the bottom and ends, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, with very fine wire mesh a which incloses the principal partof the apparatus completely, and the object of which is to prevent the sensitive parts of said apparatus being interferedv with in any way, and yet permit the products of combustion and heat arising from a fire to readily come in contact with the fingers (Z.

My apparatus is preferably supported centrally of the ceiling of a room, or in such a position as to readily take up the products of combustion and heat arising from a fire in any part of'said room, and it will also be understood that a number of these devices may be placed in a large room, or the hood a may be of such size and provided with such extensions as to receive the products of combustion and heat arising from a fire in any part of a room.

It has been found by long experimentation and careful study that the combination of metals in the contact fingers d herein specified, when said fingers are formed and attached as described will, under the influence of hot air or hot gases of combustion arising from a fire quickly operate in the manner described to. complete the circuit, and this operation is facilitated byreason of the fact that the curved end portions of said fingers are made of steel and the butt end portions thereof of brass, but my invention is not limited to the use of steel and brass in the construction of the fingers (Z, as herein described nor to many other appended claims without departing. from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its ad- Jvantages.

It will also be seen that the frame 0 constitutes one contact or electrode While the fingers (Z constitute the other, and the fact that the frame 0 is adjustable and that the fingers (Z may also be adjusted by bending or otherwise also facilitates the operation of the apparatus and adds to its adaptability.

It will be understood that the apparatus must be adjusted so as to operate, or be operated, at a predetermined degree of temperature, and this degree of temperature must be such that the apparatus will not be operated by normal degrees of temperature, or degrees of temperature under which work may be carried on, or under Which people may conveniently live.

It will also be understood that when the apparatus, or the alarm device or devices are put in operation they will continue to operate until the switches are opened, or until the cooling or contraction of the fingers (Z takes place which latter would only occur after the fire had been extinguished.

The wires 0 b and b are not absolutely necessary in the operation of my improved signal device or apparatus, but said wires are preferably employed in connection with the frames 6 and 0 for the purpose of rendering said frames more sensitive and positive in their operation at all times and in order that all parts of said frames may be kept in electrical connection at all times, and especially if said frames, or any part thereof, should become broken or disconnected at any time in the operation of the apparatus.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patents, is 2- 1. In an apparatus of the class described, a support, an insulated frame mounted in said support and adjustable into different positions and a plurality of suitably supported and curved contact fingers extending inwardly and transversely of said insulated frame and adapted under the influence of changes in temperature to make and break contact therewith, said fingers being in electrical connection and said frame and fingers being in and forming part of an open electric circuit which is closed and broken in the operation of said fingers in connection with said frame.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame, a supplemental frame pivoted to the main frame at opposite points and adapted to be adjusted into different positions and insulated from said main frame, and curved contact fingers secured to the main frame and extending inwardly and transversely thereof and adapted to expand and contract under changes of temperature and to make and break connection with said supplemental frame in such operations.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a main rectangular frame, a supplemental rectangular frame pivoted to the ends of the main frame and insulated therefrom and adjustable thereon into different positions, and curved contact fingers secured to the opposite sides of the main frame and extending inwardly and transversely thereof and adapted to expand and contract under changes of temperature and to make and break connection with the sides of the supplemental frame in such operations.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 11th day of December 1915.

ALEXANDER GIACOONE.

Witnesses:

G. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, D. G. 

